About the Author

Joe Rotter

Joe is the "blogger in chief" here at Red's in addition to being our guide service manager and partner here at Red's. He is a father of 3 spunky children his wife Kelly can only be found fishing when the temperature gets above 85 degrees and the fish are gobbling up dry flies.

In addition to being a fly fishing junkie, Joe is a hard core bowhunter, is a volunteer Hunter's Eductation Instructor, and loves riding horses with his kiddos. Joe still guides a small part of the time but spends most of his time working on web marketing, travel, and helping customers find the right tools and information for the job.

Winston PURE Fly Rod Review - Light Tackle Rod

October 15, 2018

Not all rods are built for distance performance and mega line speed. Some are built for what I like to think of as "tactical" fly fishing. Trout on streams are almost always caught at fairly close quarters, on casts and drifts that require some technical maneuvers like feeding line, a soft delivery, touchy mends, or perhaps a "reach cast". Many big trout are caught on drifts where even the slightest drag or bad mend will put them off of the fly. Feeding line delicately is one of the absolute most important elements of presentation. A slick fly line and a bendy rod sure helps. The Winston PURE matched with a Scientific Angler Amplitude Smooth Infinity Line is a match made in heaven.

The Winston PURE is built for just these situations. It's a dry fly rod at heart, yet the 9' 5 weight or 4 weight won't complain about a dropper nymph or an indicator of reasonable size. All models will give you that soulful vibe and help you fall in love with fly casting over and over again.

Recommended Fly Line for Winston PURE Fly Rods

Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Infinity - $99.95

FREE With Purchase of RL Winston Fly Rods over $500

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Hey guys & gals at reds. Im looking at getting one of the RL Winston pure fly rods whats the comfortable casting distances between the #2wt and the 66 #3wt.? Please advise thanks.
Hi Daniel, You can stretch it out to 40' with the cast, no problem (they will cast much further), but what you'll find is a lack of control because of the short length and you'll find that the roll casting is much more limited with the shorter lengths. If you fish anything brushed in by trees or grass however you'll love either of these rods inside 30'. Most of my fish are caught on 15' - 20' casts on small or even mid-sized water. Short of trying to get long drifts on big water I believe you'll love it. Sorry for the delayed reply, call anytime at (509) 933-2300 or email staff@redsflyshop.com